Germany joins Forum of Federations
Ottawa - Oct. 11, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Germany became the ninth partner country of the Forum of Federations today. The partnership agreement was signed in Berlin by Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior and Prof. Arnold Koller, Chairman of the Forum of Federations and a former president of Switzerland.
The Forum, the global network on federalism, is an international organization based in Ottawa. It supports better governance through learning among federalism practitioners and experts.
The Forum's other partner governments are Australia, Austria, Canada, Ethiopia, India, Mexico Nigeria and Switzerland.
In signing the agreement, Dr. Schäuble said the Forum offers 'a unique gateway for a necessary exchange of information among federal countries.'
'In the future Germany will support the Forum as a partner country, and in the debate on German federal reform it can benefit from the experiences (of other countries), and at the same time perhaps make its experiences available to emerging countries.'
In Ottawa, the president of the Forum of Federations, George Anderson, welcomed Germany's membership.
'Germany is one of the world's great federations,' said Mr. Anderson. 'Its presence as a partner of the Forum of Federations will provide the opportunity for us to engage more deeply in Germany's debates around issues within its own system as well as to draw even more on German experience in our broader dialogue with other federations.'
Germany is engaged in its largest federal reform since 1949. The signing came during the launch of the book Competition vs. Co-operation: German Federalism in Need of Reform - a Comparative Perspective, a joint project by the Forum of Federations and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of Berlin.
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For information contact:
Carl Stieren, Program Manager
Forum of Federations - Public Information and Education Division,
Email: stieren@forumfed.org
Tel. (613) 244-3360 ext. 207
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